


A Song of Chrysanthemum and Sphalerite

by bumblelily



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fantasy, Fire Emblem AU, Magic, Multi, alternative universe, determined to finish this one, first names are gonna be used, its like fire emblem but not like it at the same time???, just so that you're aware and dont get confused, this idea has been in my head for like an eternity but it feels so rushed, this is gonna be a long fic lmao gomen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 01:09:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7246111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bumblelily/pseuds/bumblelily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two kingdoms are at bay, embraced for war to be waged by the other. Prince Tobio is torn between the two: The West, his birthright, the peace lovers; and the East, his upbringing, the glory hunters. Regardless, he will choose, war will pursue, and innocence will drown in flames and pain will be soothed by song.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Song of Chrysanthemum and Sphalerite

**Author's Note:**

> I apologise if this sucks in advance, this chapter took me three days to write and I rushed it so yeah, enjoy I guess!

_It was a dream that had been reoccurring for the past couple of months for Tobio. He was surrounded by a warm golden light with tints of pure while, as well as feeling a refreshingly gentle breeze in the air. He felt safe in the light, a sense of ease washing over him. And then he would hear a soft, kind laugh of a woman, hear her say his name in a tone so doting and loving that it brought an immediate sense of safety. But whenever he would reach out to the source of the voice to see what the woman looked like, Tobio had always found himself awake in his bed. The same scenario occurred again during the early spring: he was closer, this time, to identifying the woman who own the voice. He had reached out to a figure that was blurred, crouched and arms slightly outstretched towards him. And Tobio could feel a smile on his face as he was so close, as he took note of the woman’s long, dark hair and her dress of silver and gold-_

‘Are you awake, young prince?’ A voice asked, concerned as Tobio shifted slightly from his position in his bed. Tobio did not open his eyes, not because of tiredness but out of stubbornness. He was so close, he thought to himself, _I was so close for the gods’ sake._

‘Mhm…’ Tobio mumbled, burrowing himself further under the covers and nestling his head into the pillow to get more comfortable. The voice cleared its throat, and Tobio felt a gentle touch on his shoulder as he was shaken ever so slightly.

‘Young prince, you need to wake up now.’ The voice said, this time slightly more firm. Tobio made a noise of protest, moving his shoulder away as he tried to return to the dream that he was having of the golden lights and the sweet voice.

‘Don’t make me have to wake you up by force, my lord…’ The voice sighed. But Tobio ignored it, for he was nearly there, and he could imagine the lights again and could faintly hear the woman’s gentle laugh.

‘I apologise in advance ... but you brought this upon yourself.’ The voice said, laced with regret. At first Tobio felt the same gentle touch on his arm, a touch that started off as soothing and relaxing to him. But then he was swallowed by a cold sensation, as though being dunked into an ice bath. His eyes opened immediately, and let out a startled shriek as he found himself tumbling out of his bed and falling onto the ground with a loud _thud_.

‘ _I’m up, I’m up_! Did you really have to wake me up with your ice magic like that?!’ Tobio groaned, standing up slowly from the ground and rubbing his arm gingerly. The voice belonged to a simple maid, hair mousy brown with matching eyes as she bowed at Tobio apologetically.

‘I’m sorry my lord, but you know you must be awake early for your studies.’ She said in a matter of fact tone. Tobio grunted miserably, stretching slowly so to wake himself up properly.

‘Can’t I just cancel them? I know enough as it is, I’m sure I don’t need any more tutoring.’ He said stubbornly.

‘Your studies aren’t the only reason as to why you must be up early for today.’ Another voice chuckled as the door opened. Tobio glanced up as he saw a man with dark brown curls, matching eyes and dressed in black and ivy green and a dark cloak draped over his shoulders. Over his heart was the royal broach, the gem a dark red and encased in a bronze frame. His smile was kind and graceful, yet his stare was firm and steady like a true leader. It was no surprise that their father had high expectations for Tooru for when he would be king.

‘Tooru?’ Tobio said slowly, staring at his brother in awe. It had only been a two weeks since they had last seen each other for Tooru’s monthly visits to the fortress, but Tobio couldn’t help but note how early Tooru was from his promised due date.

‘How are you, Tobio? I hope you haven’t been causing poor the servants any hassle while living here.’ Tooru added, sending the maid a charming smile as she blushed and bowed low to him.

‘The prince has been nothing but hassle, my lord. He just tends to have trouble sleeping and waking up is all.’ The maid commented. Tooru frowned slightly at her, and then turned to Tobio with a small grin as he walked towards him and began to ruffle Tobio’s hair gently.

‘So the same old thing then with him? Honestly, little brother, I worry about you sometimes.’ Tooru said with a smile, glowing at him as the maid stared at him with whimsical eyes. Tobio rolled his eyes at his brother, gently swatting his hand away from his head.

‘You don’t need to worry about me at all, Tooru. I’m perfectly fine. I’m not a child, like yourself.’ Tobio added with a bitter tone. Tooru’s smile tightened slightly as he let out a loud laugh that rang out melodically.

‘I’ll worry about my baby brother _as much as I please_ , thank you very much. It’s time like these I wouldn’t mind throwing you out of the window.’ Tooru said in a sweet tone, although his eyes were gleaming as though he was irritated.

‘If you need assistance, I’m _more_ than happy to oblige.’ Another voice called out as the door opened again. Stood in royal clothes of black and midnight blue was Kei, his blonde hair somewhat wavy and his gold eyes gleaming behind glasses of thin black frames, wearing a broach identical to Tooru’s. Tobio and Kei were known to clash, with Kei being older by a year or so and occasionally teasing Tobio for being in solitude in his letters to him – but there were times before Tobio’s solitude where the two were inseparable. Tobio narrowed his eyes at Kei, wary and unsure.

‘What one earth are _you_ doing here? Come to laugh at me for being locked up?’ Tobio asked bitterly. For the past year, Tobio had been kept confided in an eastern base, a solitary fortress in the mountains. He had no true understanding as to why he was locked away, only knowing from the servants that he suddenly took ill and became a threat to himself. Tooru laughed again, slinging his arm around Kei’s shoulder and pulling him in for a one armed hug. He squeezed Kei tightly, who looked as though he was in great discomfort.

‘Kei _insisted_ on visiting you and see how you were. Isn’t that right, Kei?’ Tooru added, looking at Kei with a wide grin. Kei scowled at him and turned his attention to Tobio, resting a hand on his hip and pointing at Tooru accusingly with the other.

‘ _Tooru_ threatened to destroy my bow if I didn’t show concern for your wellbeing and _dragged_ me up before the crack of dawn.’ Kei replied with a bitter tone. Tooru moved his arm away and placed his hand on his chest dramatically, his expression as though he was wounded by Kei’s usual blunt and to the point remarks.

‘I would _never_ do such a thing!’ Tooru exclaimed.

‘It wouldn’t really surprise me, to be honest.’ Tobio commented.

‘How very _dare_ you, Tobio! I _will_ throw you out of the window if you’re not careful.’

‘Why are you two here, actually? It’s not sparring practice yet.’ Tobio said in a matter of fact tone, as he began to take off his night shirt. Kei raised his eyebrow.

‘Actually, it’s due in about… twenty minutes or so.’ He said in a matter of fact tone. Tobio froze just before he reached for his clothes at the end of his bed. He stared at Kei and searched his face for any form of crack to see if he was lying, but his expression was blank and emotionless.

‘You’re lying.’ Tobio said with a slight mumble as he dressed himself quickly. The maid shook her head and bowed to Tobio slowly.

‘He’s right, my lord. You haven’t moved from your bed since yesterday evening and it’s just reached dawn. The only way I knew that you were alive was your… surprisingly loud snoring.’ The maid added sheepishly, her head to the floor as her face flushed red. Tooru’s eyes widened for a split moment, and then erupted into a loud burst of laughter as Tobio finished getting dressed in his own clothes of copper and black.

‘Wait until father hears about this!’ Tooru guffawed, as the maid awkwardly fixed Tobio’s shirt and cloak with a beetroot cheeks and an apologetic look on her face. He shrugged her hands off of him when she was done, his own cheeks slightly pink due to embarrassment.

‘I’ll throw _you_ out of the window if you’re not careful…’ Tobio grumbled under his breath, as the three of them left Tobio’s room. Kei gave Tobio a side glance and nudged his ribs softly.

‘I offer the same services to you as I did Tooru. If you need me to assist you, I will willingly help.’ Kei muttered softly, as Tooru babbled on about how he was expecting great things from Tobio, but of course there was no way for him to defeat Tooru so easily. Tobio rolled his eyes at Tooru’s words.

‘I shall keep that in mind, Kei.’ Tobio murmured in return. Kei smirked at him, and even though Tobio wasn’t fond of Kei at times, he returned the smirk all the same.

* * *

‘Come on, Tobio, I thought you actually _learnt_ from your training here.’ Tooru sneered, looking down at Tobio as he pulled himself up from the floor. The sparring court of the fortress was outside, the floor a hard concrete and surrounded by the cold mist that lingered in the mountains, with stone seats circling around the court with tall trees to act like shelter. The sun was only just breaking through the dark clouds and mist, blindly lighting the outside. Sparring practice between Tobio and Tooru was only monthly, and would always result in Tooru’s favour. But Tobio was determined to land a blow or throw his brother off guard at the very least.

‘Of course I have, _brother_ , which is why I won’t lose to you.’ Tobio barked back, his sword posed as he ran towards him. He swung his sword from upwards, and Tooru stared into his eyes as he blocked Tobio’s sword with his shield with ease. He used his strength and used his shield to make Tobio stagger and stumble away, and Tobio was then only just able to block Tooru’s constant swings. Kei was sat on a seat, his bow on his lap and his eyes on it in an intense focus glance. Tobio swung his sword wildly at Tooru, and scowled impatiently as Tooru leapt back from the blade, landing gracefully. Kei looked up at Tobio, his head tilted and his expression unreadable.

‘Tobio, have you noticed how similar yours and Tooru’s form is? What’s the one thing that’s different between you two?’ Kei asked nonchalantly, polishing his bow. Tobio glanced at him and blinked, confused by Kei’s sudden remark.

‘What…?’ Tobio asked, and then dodging Tooru’s blade just about and diving onto the floor. He raised his shield in front of himself as Tooru began to cast spells at him. Tobio steadied his position as he felt an intense heat on his face, as turquoise strikes of lightning bounced off of his shield, white sparks flying in the odd direction. Kei rolled his eyes as he watched, placing his bow by his side gently.

‘Think logically about this. We all have magic in our blood. But who’s actually trained in it the most out of the two of you?’ Kei questioned as the lightning ceased.

‘What is _that_ supposed to mean?’ Tobio exclaimed loudly as he lowered his shield. Kei shrugged his shoulders, and Tobio frowned at Kei, and then narrowly blocked Tooru’s blow with his own sword. He could see the triumphant sneer in Tooru’s eyes as he tried to process what Kei had said to him. Tobio jumped and put himself a safe distance from Tooru, breathing heavily and left to ponder. They had both had sparring practice on a regular basis, that much was obvious. But Tobio’s sessions on magic and sorcery were nearly on a daily basis and he was not sure as of how much Tooru focused on his own abilities. He stared at Tooru’s shield as he readied himself to strike Tobio as per usual, and felt a wicked grin crawl on his face.

Tobio had always had a knack when it came to manipulating his surroundings with his magic.

He raised his arm and stared at Tooru, concentrating silently as he felt a sudden surge of energy rush through his body. Tooru frowned, and then his eyes widened in realisation as his shield began to warp itself, twisting and melting and causing him to drop the shield in horror with a yelp. And then Tobio ran towards Tooru as he was distracted by his shamble of a shield, and raised his sword as though to cut Tooru down. Tooru took a step back as Tobio levelled his sword just under Tooru’s chin. Tobio couldn’t help but grin – Tooru was livid.

‘That is cheating and you know it!’ Tooru squawked, as Tobio smirked at him.

I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just playing to my strengths.’ Tobio stated in a matter of fact tone, as his sword was pointed at Tooru’s neck, the tip only barely touching it. Tooru stared down at the blade, eyes wide but expressionless, and Kei let out a small ‘ _hmph’_ with a small grin on his face. Tobio started at Tooru’s expression, trying to identify what emotions Tooru was going through. There was no fear, but there was no joy – his eyes looked as though he was debating, forming some kind of calculation in his head. Tobio didn’t lower his sword.

‘Does this mean that I win?’ Tobio asked after a while. Tooru blinked and stared at Tobio, looking as though he was rudely disrupted. But then he gave Tobio a small, defeated smile, and dropped his sword to the ground as it fell it a faint _clunk_.

‘Indeed it does, Tobio.’ Tooru replied. Tobio stepped back and lowered his sword, and bowed to Tooru. Tooru bowed back, although reluctantly, and the pair stood up straight and stared at each other for a moment as Tobio sheathed his sword. Both of them were relatively trained well in both magic and the sword. But unlike Tobio, Tooru was used to experiencing the battlefield, with Tobio constantly training and sheltered for his own good. He lacked in experience, which was irritable to say the least for Tobio – but he made up with his strategies and his tactics for wars that he would create during his tutoring.

‘Congratulations. I mean, I may have had to point out the obvious, but at least you were actually able to win this time.’ Kei said with a smug tone, crossing his arms. Tobio narrowed his eyes at Kei as he gently punched him in arm. Kei punched Tobio’s arm back, although slightly harder. Tobio had to restrain himself from tackling Kei and punching him as Kei smirked at him deviously.

‘Tobio!’ A voice yelled from afar, loud and excited. Tobio turned his head to see a small girl dashing across the court towards him, arms outstretched and dressed in a dress of pale yellow and black. Tobio felt a smile across his face, his heart fuzzy with joy as the girl flung herself at Tobio, clinging onto his waist as she giggled fondly.

‘Natsu, is that actually you?’ Tobio asked in awe, gently patting his sister’s bright orange hair, tied in two pigtails with white ribbons. She raised her head to him, her amber eyes bright and dazzling.

‘Tobio, Tobio, Tobio! Did you miss me? I missed you _this_ much!’ Natsu shouted excitedly at him, her arms outstretched and a wide grin on her face. Tobio found himself laughing.

‘I missed you _this_ much, actually (Tobio stretched his arms across as wide as he could; Natsu gasped loudly, looking as though she had been honoured). You’ve grown so much within a year it’s unbelievable.’ He commented as he picked her up in his arms and spinning her around as she giggled. He had been fond of Natsu since she was born, as he remembered holding her closely in his arms as the healer had miserably announced the death of the queen also. Natsu had always been small and delicate, with him and his other siblings overprotective of her. He put Natsu down on the floor gently, who giggled all the while at him.

‘The same applies to you, Tobio.’ Another voice said, warm and affectionate. Tobio looked up with wide eyes and open mouth. He watched his sister stride towards him, her hair combed to the side and her blue eyes shining behind glasses similar to Kei’s, wearing elegant dress of violet and black, accompanied by a thick black book of necromancy in her arms. Over her shoulders was a delicate looking shawl that faded from black to plum and shimmered as she walked towards Tobio.

‘Kiyoko, you’re here as well?’ He asked in awe. Kiyoko smiled widely at him, and gave him an affectionate one armed hug as Natsu quickly hugged Kiyoko.

‘Tooru wanted me to keep Natsu coming up as a surprise for you, so I obliged. She’s been giddy about seeing you since last night; I’m surprised she even got any sleep.’ She added with a smile. Natsu giggled again, her cheeks flushed pink from glee.

‘I just missed you so _so_ much, Tobio! Father wouldn’t let me see when you got sick, I had no one else to play with when you were gone!’ Natsu whined, hugging Tobio’s legs again.

‘What about me?’ Tooru asked, offended. Natsu rolled her eyes at him as Kei coughed back a laugh.

‘Tooru, you were _boring_. You never played with me properly, you were always busy staring at Iwai-’ Natsu whined, crossing her arms. Tooru cut her off suddenly, placing his hand over mouth as his cheeks flushed a dark shade of pink as Natsu’s words were drastically muffled by his hand.

‘Anyway, Tobio, we all didn’t just come for a friendly chat with you.’ Kei stated bluntly. Tobio rolled his eyes at Kei, who narrowed his eyes at him in return.

‘I gathered as much. Everything alright in the kingdom?’ Tobio asked casually as Natsu started to fiddle with Tobio’s cloak. Kiyoko nodded.

‘Everything is alright within the kingdom. But we have some good news for you.’ Kiyoko stated in a knowing tone. Tobio frowned at her.

‘And that is?’ Tobio asked. Everyone’s heads turned to Tooru as he fixed his broach, the sudden rays of light catching it and making it glitter and gleam. Tooru stared at Tobio long and hard, his expression stern and cold. Tobio waited anxiously, heart racing. Tooru’s expression softened slightly, a rather faint smile on his face.

‘…Father wants you back at the castle. With us.’ Tooru said finally, crossing his arms. Tobio felt his mouth dropped in shock as his heart stuttered in shock. He only faintly remembered his father’s words, as he sent Tobio away with an abrupt farewell and tight handshake: Prove to be healthy, and I will consider your return. His tone was blunt, harsh, and drove a stake through Tobio’s heart. But now, hearing from his brother, the future of the kingdom that Tobio was allowed to return home was far too good to be real.

‘I was against this, of course. It was much more peaceful without you there.’ Kei said in a somewhat bitter tone, although the expression on his face was anything but bitter. Tobio looked at Tooru, who was smiling gracefully, and looked down at Natsu who was holding his hand tightly and grinning at her. And then he turned to look at Kiyoko, his cheeks pale pink and a wide smile on his face.

‘I can return home? Does father think I’m well enough now?’ Tobio asked excitedly. Kiyoko smiled warmly as she hugged Tobio properly, her eyes soft and sincere.

‘Indeed, Tobio. We can actually start being a family again.’ She replied.

* * *

‘Is there anything else you need, Tobio?’

‘I think I nearly have everything stowed away, to be honest – just a few more clothes left over.’ Tobio commented as he glanced at the maid, who nodded as though confirming his thoughts. Tooru clasped his hands together excitedly, a wide grin on his face.

‘Excellent! Kiyoko can help you finish, and we’ll head out right now and wait for you to finish. Thank you for tolerating my brother, lovely. It must have been an irritating task.’ Tooru added in an apologetic tone. Tobio narrowed his eyes at him as the maid smiled nervously.

‘It was a pleasure to serve the young prince, my lord.’ The maid stated with a blush on her face. Natsu started to tug on Tobio’s cloak excitedly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation and joy.

‘Tobio, hurry up! We can play in the stables with the farm animals like when I was little!’ Natsu chirped excitedly. Kei raised an eyebrow at her.

‘You’re still pretty little, Natsu.’ Kei chuckled at her softly, turning away from her as she pouted at him.

‘No I’m _not_.’ Natsu exclaimed, folding her arms at him stubbornly. Kei laughed, shaking his head at her as he held her hand out to her kindly.

‘Come on, let’s leave Tobio to finish his packing.’ He said. Natsu was stubborn for a brief moment, turning her head and letting out a small scoff. But then she started to fidget on the spot, before taking Kei’s hand quickly. Kei’s smile grew more as he picked her up from the ground swiftly, and throwing her over his shoulder playfully as she let out a shriek of laughter. Tobio couldn’t help but smile at the scene; Kei was always good with Natsu, keeping her entertained and showing a gentler side to her. Tooru rolled his eyes at Kei, and turned his head to Tobio and patted his shoulder.

‘We’ll be waiting by the gates for you and Kiyoko, Tobio.’ He stated. Tobio nodded at him, and with that Tooru turned away and walked out of the room with Kei and Natsu in tow. The maid bowed at the three of them, and closed the door behind her, leaving Tobio and Kiyoko alone to finish the packing. The two were quiet as they finished Tobio’s packing. Tobio glanced at Kiyoko, who had started humming to herself as she straightened some of Tobio’s belongings on his bed. He felt his mind wander back to the dream he had that day. Kiyoko’s hair was a similar shade to the woman’s in his dream, but noted how her hair only reached her shoulders and combed to one side.

‘Kiyoko, you’re pretty good at deciphering dreams, right?’ Tobio asked in a nonchalant tone.

‘That’s an odd question for you to ask, little brother.’ Kiyoko stated with a slight chuckle in her tone. Tobio returned a strained chuckle, cursing himself for not planning his question carefully. He knew that Kiyoko had a hobby of dream-telling, where she would casually explain the meaning of a person’s dream nearly perfectly.

‘It’s just… I’ve been having the same dream for a while now, and it’s been bothering me to be honest.’ Tobio said sheepishly, having second thoughts about whether or not he should ask for Kiyoko’s opinion. He knew that Kei would brush his thoughts aside, and Tooru would most likely report it to their father out of immediate concern. Kiyoko seemed to be the only person that wouldn’t either mock or overthink the things that Tobio wanted to say.

‘Well, what was the dream about?’ Kiyoko asked, sounding intrigued, her back to him as she folded a shirt of his.

‘I was in this… gold and white light. There was wind, but not a lot of it, and there was this voice. Of a woman.’ Tobio said slowly. Kiyoko hummed absentmindedly, as she placed his shirt down and picked up a shirt that belonged to him.

‘With long, dark hair, dressed in silver, I think.’ Tobio added. Kiyoko froze mid-fold, her posture still upright but tense. Tobio could sense uneasiness in the air.

‘I mean, it can’t have been mother, her hair was pretty light from what I remember. And the woman wasn’t you because she seemed so much older than you, but...’ Tobio said slowly, trying to gain some form of response from Kiyoko, who was still frozen in her stance. Tobio carried on, uncomfortable as he started playing with his hands.

 ‘… I don’t see where you’re going with this.’ Kiyoko replied softly. Tobio took a breath in, the air around them suddenly tense and painfully quiet.

‘Say, theoretically, that the woman in my dream was a real person, and not someone of my imagination… why was she in my dream in the first place? What purpose did she serve to me in my life to think of her? Does she know who I am, and do I know her? Why would she-’ Tobio rambled, his thoughts erratic, out of order.

Kiyoko laughed.

It wasn’t her usual laugh, which made the air light and gentle, a sweet sound to listen to when in the sun. It wasn’t her laugh which made a person feel warm in their heart and comfort any person in the world. It was a laugh that was painfully forced and cut Tobio’s words straight through, still soft, but abrupt from her lips. Tobio felt himself fall suddenly silent.

‘Your imagination is _far_ too active for being in solitude for a year, Tobio. I understand that you may feel some connection with this woman, but trust me when I say that it is nothing to be so worried about.’ Kiyoko said in a strained, sweet tone, as she turned to him and ruffled his hair. She smiled at him, her usual doting expression on her face, and Tobio felt a small knot of uncertainty in his stomach. But he nodded at her, because he could trust Kiyoko’s words, and so he ignored the knot in his stomach.

‘… You’re right, of course. I’m just being an idiot for thinking so radically. I’m sorry for bothering you, Kiyoko.’ Tobio sighed, lowering his head in guilt. Kiyoko pulled Tobio towards her and hugged him closely to her, her chin resting on his head comfortably as she stroked his hair slowly.

‘You’re not bothering me at all. If anything, you’re showing curiosity. But try not to dwell on dreams such as that, alright?’ She asked, her voice laced with concern. Tobio nodded as he hugged her back tightly.

‘…I understand.’


End file.
